Family of 5 Relocating From Hawaii (Denver, Aurora: rent, houses, landscaping)

[thewanderingfive]

Hello all! This forum has been so helpful to me in the last few years as we've moved from Indiana to Hawaii and now from Hawaii to Denver! We're relocating in October, and we're currently trying to nail down where we'd like to live. Any help or advice you can offer would be fantastic. (Yes, we're working with a realtor but more input is always helpful!)

Some info:
My husband will be working just outside of Buckley AFB.
We have three children (ages 12, 10, and 9) who are homeschooled. (Although two of my children would like to try public school.)
We are liberal atheists and we'd like to be in an area where we can easily find others like us.
Our budget is $350-400k and with that we'd like an updated 3+ bedroom home (1600 sq ft fits us nicely currently).
Walking distance to shopping, parks, trails, other amenities.
Strong sense of community (local events, relationships, etc).
Semi-easy access to the mountains.

Stapleton seems to be a nice fit for us, but our budget just isn't cutting it there. (Some of the new builds might work but the time frame is a year out with a wait list.) SE Aurora is okay - I've grown up in the suburbs and it's what feels familiar. But I'm concerned that we won't get the sense of community that living closer to downtown might provide? And I'm also not sure how conservative of an area it is. We live in a nice suburban area currently, but it's not very politically diverse.

I've been reading about both Lowry and Bradburn (bad commute?) as well. Any other ideas? Thanks in advance!

Nicole

[emm74]

I don't think Lowry is going to be any less expensive than Stapleton and in terms of schools, the middle and high schools are not as good. Not trying to push Stapleton, but for what it's worth, many people rent there while they are building. But while I live there and love many things about it, other than a relatively small number of houses that happen to be close to the more commercial areas, you aren't getting walkable access to parks, trails AND shopping. Most of it is more suburban than anything else, although with smaller lots and more public green space, and the benefit of being a short drive to the amenities of Denver itself, rather than the 30+ minute drive it takes to drive from SE Aurora and other true suburbs to Coors Field, Mile High, the Zoo, Museum of Nature and Science, etc.

[thewanderingfive]

Thanks, emm74. That makes a lot of sense!

[mic111]

I think you were on track with SE Aurora. I don't think you will get more community living closer to downtown. It will probably be better in SE Aurora since you will have families like yourselves. Have you been out for a visit yet?

If you want to be near a nice outdoor walkable shopping mall maybe look for something near Southlands. Events at Southlands :: Aurora, CO

We live near a similar outdoor mall and it is a really nice feature.

[thewanderingfive]

mic111,

Thanks for the input! We haven't been out yet. We've gone back and forth on that. Flying in from Hawaii isn't cheap! Still on the table though. After talking with a resident tonight, I feel more comfortable that we'll find likeminded people just about anywhere we land. So I just have to figure out which of the other priorities is most important. Thanks again!

Nicole

[mic111]

Try taking a virtual drive around Stapleton and the neighborhoods your seeing houses you like in SE Aurora. Swing by the local Walmart and King Sooper Grocery store. You can do this on Google Map street view. This will help you narrow down as you will likely either like the feeling of the area or not.

[Claire S.]

Stapleton sounds like a good fit, but yes, you'll probably need to stretch up to $450K right now to get a home that suits your needs. New builds in Stapleton aren't much cheaper as the builders that advertise in the 300s typically don't include everything you'd want...which pushes the price much higher...plus the cost of installing landscaping, hardscaping, window treatments, etc adds to the out of pocket costs at move-in.

Lowry and Bradburn homes are mostly pricier than Stapleton.

SE Aurora is considered a good value by many shoppers and the job location near Buckley makes it a convenient area for you. Keep in mind that SE Aurora is more a typical suburban area ---- whereas the areas you mentioned are considered more "new urbanism."

[philberf]

And Stapleton isn't super close to Buckley either. Not far, but not close.

[emm74]

Originally Posted by philberf

And Stapleton isn't super close to Buckley either. Not far, but not close.

Depends on where in Stapleton but from my house, it's less than 7 miles to Buckley. That falls into the "close" category to me. Buckley is closer to me than it is to Southlands, btw.

[philberf]

Based on my (now year old) experience driving 70/225 around anschutz, there's traffic even going eastward in the morning and westward in the afternoon. Not tons, but it's not necessarily super fast either. Mileage in Denver matters less than actual driving time given the (IMHO) poor interstate infrastructure.